CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Worried, I watched from the car window as the industrialized buildings and cheap hotels blurred past us. Earlier in the morning, I’d received a surprise phone call from Noah telling me he was downstairs. We didn’t have any plans. With the World Science Convention only a few days away, I had assumed Noah was out of reach unless I was in the office with him. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, reminding me that I had agreed to trust him. Leaving the city, I feared we headed for Stafford Estate. The work I had been doing there was meant to be a surprise. I didn’t want him to see it until it was finished.
“This looks like the way to the manor,” I tested him, trying to come across as nonchalant so I didn’t give myself away.
“Would you like us to go there?” he asked with good humor, his gaze locked onto me, studying my reaction as much as I did his.
He knows, I thought. He’s baiting me so that I’ll reveal my secret before he destroys the surprise.
I shrugged. “Makes no difference to me. You’re the boss. Wherever you go, I’ll follow. I have to. I’m stuck in the car with you.”
Laughing, he rubbed my arm, the most affectionate he’d been since I got into the car, but then he became serious once more, treating me like he did in the office, strictly professional. It gave me hope that the estate was not our final destination. If Noah was in work mode, then perhaps our journey had something to do with the convention. We could be on our way to some sort of underground bunker for a classified meeting where there was no fear of anyone stealing Noah’s patents.
“You’re daydreaming,” he observed. “Somewhere far away.”
“Not too far. You were there.”
“Where?”
“An underground bunker.”
He sat back. “We’re not heading to an underground bunker.”
“Then where?” I pressed.
“Wherever I please,” he said regally. “Don’t question me again. It’s not your place to, not according to our agreement.”
I squinted at him, contemplative. “This is another lesson. That’s why you’re being a tyrant.”
“Careful,” he warned, “or I’ll forbid you to speak again.”
I grinned, remembering. “Are you going to chain me up as well?”
“That was your request, and I obliged.” He lost a smidgen of his composure, his eyes flaring with unmistakable lechery.
“Will you ever let me chain you up?” I challenged. “There are things I could do that you would never forget.”
Somehow, he kept total control. “As tempting as that sounds, my job is to provide you with pleasure, not the other way around.”
“It would appear you make a habit of it,” I said, not believing that I let it slip out.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked, frowning though his tone remained steady.
“Work is your priority, more mistress than me. It governs your every waking hour, constantly summoning you. I know you’re trying to save lives with new technologies, but what about your own? Don’t you want a source of happiness beyond the walls you’ve built around you? Like a family? Or travel?”
The green of his eyes darkened. I had obviously hit a nerve. “I’m not my brother. I never will be.”
“Come on, Noah,” I said, folding my arms. “You know that’s not what I mean. Lots of people travel. And there’re other ways to have fun. Poker. Bingo. Camping.”
“I don’t have time for those activities,” he argued.
He was insufferable. “That’s my point. Give yourself the time. It’s precious.”
Clenching his jaw, he adjusted the cufflinks of his suit, visibly troubled. “Time is precious. That’s why I dedicate mine to my work. While I live in luxury, there are many in squalor. The world needs answers more than it needs another billionaire cruising around on a yacht. Not everyone has the privilege of time.”
“But Noah,” I said, softening my tone, “You can’t fix every problem on your own. Even Superman needs help. That’s why he’s in the Justice League.”
Relaxing, his shoulders fell slightly forward. “I guess my company is a sort of league.”
“A league of scientists!” I declared brightly. “But seriously, you really should wander the halls of your company some more. There’s no reason you need to sit all alone in your throne room.”
“It commands respect,” he said, though he didn’t sound as certain as he usually did. “With respect, there is efficiency. No time is wasted between departments fighting over what to do. I make all the decisions.”
“Which is efficient, until you’re sick and can’t work. I’m not saying hand your control over to others, I’ve hung around you long enough to know that will never happen, but you can delegate some of your responsibilities, make the load lighter so that you have more time to focus on the important stuff, like finding answers.”
“I think nanotechnology is an answer,” he confided.
“A big one,” I said, gauging his tone. “You’re passionate about it, like a boy playing with model rockets, but it goes deeper. Those closest to you have noticed it. It affects you on a personal level. That’s why you bid to host the World Science Convention in Chicago this year. This hits close to home, in more ways than one.”
I stopped, trying to read Noah’s expression, but he remained impassive, so I continued. “What is it? You can tell me. Are you waging some sort of war or something? Invisible robots who can crawl through the noses of your enemies?”
I meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but Noah took it gravely. “It is a war, of sorts,” he admitted. “But it’s not something I’m willing to discuss with you.”
Breathing deep, I tried not to take it personally. “Because I wouldn’t understand?”
“Because I could lose you,” he stated firmly, gripping me with his intensity. “It’s selfish, but that’s the way it is.”
“Okay,” I accepted, backing off.
Secretly, I was thrilled at his confession. Noah cared. Maybe, he even loved. That didn’t mean we had a future together, but it did give meaning to the time we had.
“So what is the lesson?” I asked, returning to our earlier conversation. “What level am I on now?”
“Total submission.”
My entire body warming, I smiled and set my hand on his knee, massaging his thigh, inching up to the power of his groin. “I thought we covered that last time.”
Like a lizard catching a fly, he slapped his hand down on mine, another lash. “The flogger taught you pleasure and pain. Today is about obedience. You must do what I say, no matter what.”
I glanced down at my clothes. When he’d woken me with his phone call, Noah had instructed me to dress casual, so I had, with a pair of beat-up tennis shoes on my feet, jeans and a concert T-shirt over the rest of me. Noah, of course, was razor sharp in his suit.
“I don’t think I dressed accordingly,” I said.
“You look great,” he assured me.
I perked up. “Enough to start casual Friday?”
“Never in a million years.” With vehemence, he captured my gaze once again, his hand squeezing the top of my own. “There’s no turning back, Imogen,” he said. “Tell me that no matter where we end up, you’ll do as I say.”
“I will,” I agreed. “Whatever you say.”
“Good,” he said, and to my discouragement, he moved my hand away from his lap, gently setting it back onto my own, as solemn looking as ever.
“The gala sounds like fun,” I noted, trying not to lose the amiability of the morning.
He smiled, but he kept his distance. “It’s full of nonsensical chatter. A woman as intelligent as you will likely be bored.”
Disappointed, I dropped my eyes. “I thought I was attending with you.”
“You are.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “Imogen Clare, will you go to the gala with me?”
Feeling mischievous, my humor returning, I replied, “Noah Stafford, are you proposing to me.”
He didn’t flinch. “It’s a type of proposition.”
“Then yes,” I accepted. “I will be your arm candy at the gala.”
***
Far beyond Stafford Estate, the suburbs of the city were exchanged for flat plains and rustic farmlands, where wheat grew tall and proud, and tractors were as common as pick-up trucks. The mellow Midwest.
We drove for hours, through small towns and county borders until I no longer had any sense of where we were. The landscape changed. Farmlands remained a pastoral staple, but green hillsides rose from the land, encompassing the cattle and donkeys that grazed in their shadows. Along the roads were fields of butterfly weed and Lenten rose, which grew alongside oats, corn, and snap beans. It was wholesome, connecting me deeply to the earth.
“Are we in Wisconsin?” I asked uncertainly, recognizing the formation of the land but having never traveled to wherever we were now.
“Northwest of Milwaukee,” Noah specified.
“I’ve never been this close to the Canadian border. If I’m leaving town, it’s always to head south.”
Or east, I mused, thinking of Thailand. For the first time in weeks, I wondered where Corey was and if he was safe. Well, relatively safe. As reckless as he was, I doubted he was ever completely out of danger.
I’ll find you, Imogen. You know I will.
Startled, I shook the ghost away.
“Or maybe I have been here. For some reason, I just experienced a flash back to when I was little,” I rambled, grounding my thoughts. “I ran around in a pumpkin patch, and my grandma made some comment about how cold northern skies were.”
“You should write it down. Maybe it’ll inspire more memories.”
“There are too many of them. That’s the problem. I had a great childhood,” I said lightheartedly, content with my nostalgia.
“If pumpkin patches were involved, then I would say so.”
“What about you? Did you ever visit any pumpkin patches?”
“No,” he answered indifferently. “But I have no qualms. We made our own fun.”
He referred to Corey. I was certain of it. Never before had he spoken of his brother without an air of disapproval. Based on the way he brightened reflecting on their boyhood, whatever had separated them must have done so when they were adults.
“Were you and Corey close?” I probed, testing my hypothesis.
“Very. Inseparable. He had his friends, and I had mine, but we would have done anything for each other.”
“Maybe you can have that strong of a relationship again someday.” I licked my lips, giving him time to hush me. He didn’t so I went on. “You’re young. A lifetime is a long stretch. I’m sure somewhere along the way, Corey will return, probably when he’s old and has arthritis.”
Noah tapped his hand against the seat, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. “I’m afraid that may never happen.”
“But you would like it to?”
“Yes,” he rasped, as if a weight had fallen off his shoulders to admit it. “Very much so.”
Tilting, the car revved across a dirt road littered with pot holes, jolting us back and forth. It carried on for over a mile before the road smoothed, leading past a barnyard and water tower before coming to a stop outside a farmhouse.
“Talk about a wild ride,” I grumbled. “Good thing I was wearing my seat belt.”
Noah apologized. “The last time I was here, I came by helicopter. I should have known to check.”
“Why didn’t we come by helicopter?” I was curious, though I hadn’t minded the drive.
“I wanted to see the countryside, and I wanted you to see it as well. It’s important.”
The farmhouse stood three stories tall with a wide, inviting porch that wrapped around its base, but it was in shambles. Paint was chipped across the wood, discoloring it, and shingles hung loosely from the rooftop. It looked as if it’d got caught up in one too many tornadoes, but this was Wisconsin, not Kansas. The yard wasn’t any better. Rusted cars rotted in the back, and the bushes looked like they had never been trimmed, but the lawn was freshly cut, showing some reverence for the place.
“What is this, some sort of hippy love den?”
“Nothing close to that,” Noah informed me. “That’s not what this is about. Submission originates outside the bedroom. Fundamentally, it’s a choice that’s made before the whips are brought out.”
His mention of whips brought a blush to my face and sparked a nervous, needy energy inside of me that I swallowed back down, obeying his will.
“Do you promise to do as I say, Imogen, no matter what?” he asked again, his eyes lighting up with the secret he was about to reveal.
“Exactly as you say,” I vowed, wondering what this trust exercise was all about. His enthusiasm made me anxious, like something big was about to happen, something life-changing.
He took my hand and held it tight, as if he was comforting me. “I found your family,” he finally said. “They’re waiting inside.”